World-famous voice actors Bryce Papenbrook and Yuki Kaji get together for a fun chat about one of the roles they share: The Seven Deadly Sins' fearless hero, Meliodas!― To the excitement of fans, popular series, The Seven Deadly Sins, returns with an upcoming movie on August 18, 2018. As one of top watched anime on Netflix, an upcoming film in August 2018, and a lineup of the biggest names in the in...

The heroes of Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? venture outside Orario for once in this adventurous volume. Theron Martin has the details.― For all of the great work that writer Fujino Omori has done with the setting of DanMachi, details on any locations beyond Orario and its immediate environs have been woefully limited. Although a couple of short stories in the main series have transpired...

With nods to the Eagles' classic "Hotel California" and a healthy dose of strangeness, The Voynich Hotel promises a stay you won't soon forget. Rebecca Silverman has the details.― Seven Seas' use of a paraphrased line from the Eagles' 1977 song “Hotel California” on the back copy of The Voynich Hotel's first volume really does prepare you for what's going on inside. The song's last line is “You can ...

Can't get enough of battle royale tournaments where only the strongest and wittiest survive a gruesome demise? Here are seven more survival game anime to scratch that itch!― There are few quicker ways to ramp up tension between a group of strangers than throwing them headfirst into a battle of kill or be killed. There are tons of manga centered on the topic, for example Yen Press' release of Though...

Cat spirits and ninja combine in this action series that blends fantasy with science fiction and folklore. Rebecca Silverman weighs the highs and lows of this pulse-pounding genre mashup.― Life very rarely works out precisely as you've planned it, even if your plans aren't much beyond “wake up and go to school.” That's what high schooler Jiro Azuma is about to learn the hard way when he rescues an i...

Wednesday, August 15

Nintendo filed trademarks for "Endless Ocean" and "Another Code" on July 13. The trademarks were made public on July 31. Arika developed the Endless Ocean (known in Japan as Forever Blue) Wii game, and it shipped in Japan and the West in 2007 and 2008. In the game, players become scuba divers to observe and photograph animals and undersea sights. Arika also released a sequel titled Endless Ocean 2...

Tuesday, August 14

The swarms of eager otaku that head to Comic Market, Japan's largest event for selling self-published dōjinshi works, twice per year create jam-packed chaos. Unfortunately for those attending in summer, Japan is known for its heat and humidity in the middle of the year. Japan has recently had a severe heat wave leading to at least 80 deaths, so attendees at this summer's Comiket had to be particul...

Director Seiji Kishi is well known for his impressive resume. He's helmed anime favorites like Angel Beats!, Yuki Yuna Is a Hero, Persona 4 the Animation, Danganronpa The Animation, Tsukigakirei, and most recently the crass comedy Asobi Asobase -workshop of fun-. Recently, Kishi has taken to Twitter to share more personal matters, namely his recent physical transformation. Kishi has started muscle...

Film Opens in U.S., Canada on September 25― Funimation began streaming on Tuesday a new English-dubbed trailer for the My Hero Academia: Two Heroes anime film. Funimation and TOHO hosted a world premiere of the film with English subtitles at Anime Expo on July 5. The film opened in Japan on August 3. It earned 500,320,000 yen (about US$4.49 million) in its first three days and ranked #4 in its openi...

Event also revealed the results of its 400,000 chocolate poll― After receiving nearly half a million Valentine chocolates this year, The annual Prince of Tennis summer Valentine event is officially recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association. The association designated August 14 as "Happy Summer Valentine Day" on Tuesday and awarded Prince of Tennis creator Takeshi Konomi with a certificate to a...

Planet With is the first original anime project written by beloved manga author Satoshi Mizukami, and it's been absurd and exciting from the start to its shocking halfway point cliffhanger. Nick and Jacob try to make sense of this mecha action rollercoaster.― Planet With is the first original anime project written by beloved manga author Satoshi Mizukami, and it's been absurd and exciting from the s...

Tokyo experienced a sudden downpour on Monday, which some are attributing to My Hero Academia's Denki Kaminari. For a sense of the scope of the storm, look at the picture below that the website tenki.jp posted. The photo shows the view from the Sunshine 60 skyscraper in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. 東京、池袋のサンシャイン60からの雨雲の様子です。大雨や落雷に十分に注意してください。 pic.twitter.com/8yRCVuaeL3— tenki.jp (@tenkijp) August 13, 2018 The...

Blu-ray/DVD edition from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Funimation― A press release from Fetch Publicity confirms that Funimation and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release a Blu-ray/DVD edition of Yuri!!!! on ICE on September 24. It will carry the 12 episodes of the series and the following extras: Yuri Plisetsky GPF in Barcelona EX, "Welcome to the Madness" OVA, Eleventh Skate Comment...

World-famous voice actors Bryce Papenbrook and Yuki Kaji get together for a fun chat about one of the roles they share: The Seven Deadly Sins' fearless hero, Meliodas!― To the excitement of fans, popular series, The Seven Deadly Sins, returns with an upcoming movie on August 18, 2018. As one of top watched anime on Netflix, an upcoming film in August 2018, and a lineup of the biggest names in the in...

Original CG anime series premiered in April 2017― The Motion Picture and Television Engineering Society of Japan (MPTE) announced last week that Toei Animation's Kado: The Right Answer television anime series has won the Animation category of its 71st MPTE Awards. The award ceremony will be held at Academy Hills in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo on October 30. The anime series premiered in Japan in April 201...

Bandai Namco Entertainment America revealed on Tuesday that the Nintendo Switch version of the Dark Souls: Remastered game will launch on October 19 in North America and Europe. The game will launch in Japan on October 18. The Solaire of Astora amiibo will launch the same day. The company will hold an online network test for the game before the release, and information about the test will be avail...

Game launches on November 13 in N. America, November 16 in Europe― Nintendo began streaming a trailer on August 8 for the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection game for the Nintendo Switch. The video previews all three Ikari Warriors games in the collection. The first two games in the Ikari Warriors series, Ikari Warriors and Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road, debuted in 1986. The third game, Ikari Warriors...

The heroes of Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? venture outside Orario for once in this adventurous volume. Theron Martin has the details.― For all of the great work that writer Fujino Omori has done with the setting of DanMachi, details on any locations beyond Orario and its immediate environs have been woefully limited. Although a couple of short stories in the main series have transpired...

Stage play debuts in September― The official website for the stage play adaptation of Eto Mori's youth novel series DIVE!! began streaming two videos for the stage play on August 3. The site also revealed a visual for the stage play earlier this month. The first video below shows the photography for the key visual, while the second video shows the cast offering their comments on the stage play. The ...

Yoshika Miyafuji swoops in for Portsmouth International Kite Festival― Last weekend, the Portsmouth International Kite Festival was held at Southsea Common in Hampshire. Among the dozens of objects in the sky, anime fans might have spotted a representative of the famed Strike Witches. Yes, Yoshika Miyafuji herself turned up to support the event, bringing her striker unit along. The legendary defende...

Mazinger Z: Infinity sells 3,232, followed by 2018 Doraemon film, Mr. Osomatsu, Tetsuya Kakihara, Uchū Sentai Kyūranger Vs. Space Squad― The live-action American film Transformers: The Last Knight rose from #17 to #4 in its sixth week on the overall DVD chart. It added 4,009 copies to its total of 12,824 copies. Mr. Osomatsu on Stage ~Six Men's Festival Blu-ray Disc sold 1,581 copies to debut at #10...

The official website for Seishun Buta Yarō wa Bunny Girl-senpai no Yume wo Minai (The Young Pig-Rascal Isn't Dreaming of a Bunny Girl Upperclassman), the television anime of Hajime Kamoshida's Seishun Buta Yarō light novel series, revealed last Friday that the anime will premiere on ABC TV on October 3 at 26:15 (effectively October 4 morning at 2:15 a.m.). It will then air on Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, T...

Duo plays yōkai who have business with Natsume in September 29 film― The official website for Gekijōban Natsume Yūjinchō ~Utsusemi ni Musubu~ (Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie: Tied to the Temporal World), the anime film of Yuki Midorikawa's Natsume's Book of Friends (Natsume Yūjin-Chō) manga, revealed on Tuesday that the film has cast Viking comedy duo members Eiji Kotōge and Mizuki Nishimura as...

Kamen Rider/Sentai double feature drops to #8, Pokémon to #9― Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu's new Mirai no Mirai (Mirai) anime film rose from #7 to #6 in its fourth weekend. The film earned 154,220,000 yen (about US$1.39 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has now earned a cumulative total of 2,010,528,300 yen (about US$18.15 million). The film opened in 456 theaters on July 20 in Japan. It so...

Sol Press announced on August 7 that it will release Laplacian's bishōjo visual novel Newton and the Apple Tree (Newton to Ringo no Ki) on Steam on Wednesday, August 15. MiKandi Japan and Sol Press ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for the game from December to January. The campaign raised US$88,095 out of its initial goal of US$31,200. Newton and the Apple Tree debuted for Windows in Japan in...

Claims character designer and animation director Yoshifumi Kondō death was due to Takahata's work expectations― Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki revealed another side of his long-time work partner and director Isao Takahata. The book, The Ghibli Textbook #19: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Ghibli no Kyōkasho 19 Kaguya-hime no Monogatari), delves into the production of Takahata's last film and ...

Monday, August 13

CEO Christopher Ling comments that layoffs are due to restructuring― Sekai Project brand manager Frances Delgado revealed on social media that her "entire office" at Sekai project was laid off on Monday. Studio Élan lead Josh Kaplan also tweeted to say he is no longer employed at Sekai Project. Sekai Project CEO Christopher Ling posted an official statement on the company's website on Monday, confir...

Kaijū-iro no Shima to debut in September― The September issue of Shueisha's Monthly Dragon Age magazine revealed on August 9 that Mitsuru Hattori will launch a new manga in the fifth volume of sister magazine Bessatsu Dragon Age on September 25. The manga is tentatively titled Kaijū-iro no Shima ("Monster-Colored Island or "Scheelite-Colored Island"). The manga will feature in the issue's front cove...

Evangelion's Yoshiyuki Sadamoto designed characters― The Mouse computer store's anime ad starring the Nogizaka46 idol group with character design's by Evangelion's Yoshiyuki Sadamoto began streaming on August 8. LIDEN FILMS animated the ad and it first appeared during the Mirai Seiki Jipang documentary on TV Tokyo the same day. The ad is based on a previous live-action commercial. Sadamoto previousl...

Westin Sutherland is hoping to inspire youngsters to learn indigenous languages by creating dubs of some of his favorite animated series, including Spongebob Square Pants, The Proud Family, and Sailor Moon. Sutherland is from Peguis First Nation in Manitoba and began learning the Anishinaabemowin and Cree languages four years ago. While studying, Sutherland noticed the lack of television programmi...

Ai ni Nante Oborenai centers on new hire with sleazy but talented boss― The September issue of Shogakukan's Petit Comic magazine revealed last Wednesday that Izumi Miyazono will launch a new manga titled Ai ni Nante Oborenai (I Will Not Succumb to Love) in the magazine's next issue on September 7. The manga will feature in the issue's front cover, and will have a color opening page, with a 40-page f...

Washinomiya Shrine, the Tokyo area's oldest shrine and a real-life backdrop for the Lucky Star anime series, faced an unfortunate loss on Sunday. The shrine's torii gate collapsed at around 10:40 a.m. on Sunday, crushing the trunk of a car passing underneath it. The gate was about six meters tall (about 19.5ft) and included a wooden piece that ran along the top. The wood was protected by a rainpro...

Manga ended 1st part, began hiatus in February― This year's 17th issue of Akita Shoten's Young Champion magazine announced on Friday that Hiroshi Takashi's Jank Runk Family manga will return in the magazine's next issue on August 28. Takashi ended the manga's "first part" on February 27, and it went on hiatus immediately afterward. The manga is a crossover with the OREN'S manga, which artist Yanse K...

The Grand Blue Dreaming anime is collaborating with the BeautyPlus camera app. The app is now letting users transform themselves into Aina "Cakey" Yoshiwara as she appeared in the anime's fourth episode. The episode features a beauty pageant, and Cakey becomes a key character as she wears a blond wig and extremely heavy makeup. Voice actress Kana Asumi, who plays Aina in the anime, already experim...

Otakorp Inc. announced on Monday that the total number of attendees for this year's Otakon event was 29,293. The number includes those who purchased badges as well as staff, dealers, artists, industry, contractors, guests, and press. The total number of paid registrants was 26,590. The total attendance was up over 4,000 from last year's total of 24,894. Otakon 2018 took place from August 10-12 at ...

Works by Hiroyuki Asada, panpanya, Asumiko Nakamura, Range Murata also licensed― Ed Chavez, former Vertical marketing director and most recently vice president of FAKKU, announced a new North American manga publishing company named Denpa at Otakon on Saturday. The company plans to release manga from a variety of genres beginning with the following titles: Nobuyuki Fukumoto's Gambling Apocalypse Kaij...

K: Missing Kings listed for October 15, K: Return of Kings listed for October 29― Anime Limited is listing the film K: Missing Kings and the series K: Return of Kings on its website. Both titles are sequels to the original K series. K: Missing Kings is listed as being released on October 15 as a standard DVD and a Blu-ray/DVD Collectors Edition. K: Return of Kings is listed as an October 29 release,...

The Tokyo One Piece Tower theme park is getting an immersive theater experience titled "Toki no Hako ga Aku Toki" (When the Time Box Opens). A special website will open to reveal more details about the experience on August 17. In immersive theater, audience members occupy the same performance space as the show's cast and actively participate in the performance. Performers interact with audience me...

Rei Mikamoto's original manga ran from 2009-2017, inspired live-action film― The September issue of Kadokawa's Comic Beam magazine revealed on Friday that Rei Mikamoto will launch a second Chimamire Sukeban Chainsaw manga series titled Chimamire Sukeban Chainsaw refresh (seen left in image below) in the magazine's next issue on September 12. The original manga centers around Geeko Nokomura, who is i...

Oftentimes in the credits of an English dub, you'll see the same name in a couple different slots - maybe director, producer, and also the lead actor. Is the crew invading the booth? Justin explains.― Tess asked: Looking at the dub credits on various anime, I noticed that a voice actor (who is often a lead) may also be credited as a producer. Because they're a producer on a series' (or an episode's...

Ohara debuts as Rikyū's young-looking mother on Monday― The official Twitter account for Holmes of Kyoto, the television anime of Mai Mochizuki's Holmes at Kyoto Teramachi Sanjō (Kyōto Teramachi Sanjō no Holmes) mystery novel series, announced on Monday that Sayaka Ohara will play Yoshie Takiyama, Rikyū's mother and a friend of Seiji. Though young-looking, she is actually 40 years old. Seiji's love ...

TV series premiered on July 8― The official website of the television anime of Rin Suzukawa's Asobi Asobase (Play and Let Play) manga revealed on Friday that Toshiyuki Morikawa is playing Olivia's older brother. The site did not reveal an episode for the character's debut. The anime premiered on July 8. Crunchyroll is streaming the anime as it airs in Japan. The manga's seventh compiled book volume ...

Character designs for Tatsu, Sana also revealed― The official website for Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion, the television anime of Nanahiko Takagi's Angolmois: Genkō Kassen-ki manga, revealed on Monday that Akira Ishida will play Antokutei. The character will debut in the anime's sixth episode on Tuesday. Akira Ishida as Antokutei The website also revealed designs for the characters Tatsu and S...

Series premieres in October― The official website for the television anime of Yōsuke Kaneda's school romantic comedy manga series Kishuku Gakkō no Juliet (Boarding School Juliet) revealed on Monday that Hiroshi Kamiya will play Scott Fold. Hiroshi Kamiya as Scott Fold The series will premiere in October on the MBS, TBS, and BS-TBS in the Animeism programming block. It will also stream exclusively on...

The official website for the new stage play of Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin manga revealed a new visual for the play's handbills on Saturday. The play will run in Tokyo from October 11 to November 7, and then in Osaka from November 15 to 24. Watsuki first launched his 28-volume Rurouni Kenshin manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1994. The manga has more than 60 million copies ...

Previewed with both original key frames, finished cut― The official Twitter account for the My Hero Academia: Two Heroes film posted four clips from the film on Sunday. The clips show short segments of action scenes from the film with both the raw key frames and the finished cut. <ボンズ発! 劇場版 #ヒロアカ 線撮×本編ムービー①が来た!>絶賛公開中『僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE 〜2人の英雄(ヒーロー)〜』バトルアクションシーンから、ヤングオールマイト変身!!更なる興奮が待つ完成版の迫力は映画館で体...

2nd film in 2-part project opens in Japan on October 19― The official Twitter account of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation anime film announced on Saturday that Nana Mizuki will perform the film's theme song "NEVER SURRENDER." The song's CD single will ship on October 24 as the singer's 38th single. Mizuki also performed the insert song "Invisible Heat" and the ending theme song "Destiny's ...

Yugo, Zipang creators collaborate for Sagara ~S no Dōsotai~ manga― This year's combined 36th and 37th issue of Kodansha's Morning magazine launched a new manga titled Sagara ~S no Dōsotai~ (Sagara ~The S Allotrope~) by manga creators Kaiji Kawaguchi and Shinji Makari on August 9. Makari is credited for the original work, and Kawaguchi is drawing the art. Makari is the author of the Yugo manga series...

Saito, Abeno previously collaborated on Trinity Seven: Liese Chronicle spinoff manga― The September issue of Kadokawa's Monthly Dragon Age magazine revealed on Thursday that Kenji Saito and Chako Abeno will launch a new manga titled Witch Order in the magazine's next issue on September 7. The magazine teases the story as a modern fantasy centering on a "master who pierces through justice, and an ill...

210,000 attendees on 3rd day of event― The Comic Market 94 (Comiket 94) event, Japan's largest event for selling self-published dōjinshi works, drew about 210,000 attendees on its third day at Tokyo Big Sight on Sunday. It tied the all-time one-day attendee record, last reached on Comic Market 93's third day. Across all three days of the Comiket 94 event, there were about 530,000 attendees. Comiket ...

Game originally launched on Steam as pre-order bonus― Bandai Namco announced on Sunday during a livestream on Dengeki Online's YouTube channel that its Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment game will launch on PC via Steam as a standalone release on August 21. Bandai Namco offered a Steam copy of Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment on March 23 to those who pre-ordered Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet ...

Advance sales of the Den-noh Coil Archives book of materials from the Den-noh Coil anime will be available at Comic Market 94 (Comiket). The Anime Style booth will sell the book at the event, which is being held at Tokyo Big Sight from August 10-12. Original manga creator Mitsuo Iso directed the anime that premiered in 2007 and won an Excellence Prize in the animation division of the Agency for Cu...

Narita plays Shioriko's colleague, part of story's love triangle― The official website for the live-action film of En Mikami's Antiquarian Bookshop Biblia's Case Files (Biblia Kosho-dō no Jiken Techō) novel series revealed on Friday that Ryō Narita will join the film's cast as the character Inagaki. The character is Shioriko's colleague who runs a retail website specializing in manga. Inagaki, Shior...

The episode of NTV's Hirunandesu! variety program that aired on Wednesday featured a segment in which four male entertainers visited a limited-time Sailor Moon café. The cafe is running at Q-pot CAFE. Omotesando in Shibuya, Tokyo until August 19. The performers who visited the café for the program were comedy duo Audrey members Masayasu Wakabayashi and Toshiaki Kasuga, comedy duo Heisei Nobushi Ko...

Sunday, August 12

A person claiming to be figure designer Kōji Ihara opened a new Twitter account on Monday for people or businesses who have been affected by figure maker Be-full's alleged actions. Ihara designed a figure of Encouragement of Climb's Hinata and Aoi for Be-full but is now discussing possible legal action against the company. 【拡散希望】フィギュア企画請負の伊原と申します。ヤマノススメ「雪村あおい」「倉上ひなた」の材質をPVCからアクリル系樹脂に変更をメーカーである㈱びーふ...

PS4/PS Vita game shipped in Japan, Asia on Thursday― H2 Interactive began streaming a new English-subtitled promotional video for D3 Publisher's Bullet Girls Phantasia PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita game on Thursday. The video introduces the game's characters and features. The character Merrina Iris (voiced by Nozomi Yamamoto) appears as a virtual YouTuber to host the video. The game is the newe...

Anime studio Kyoto Animation wasn't selling any merchandise at this summer's Comic Market (Comiket) 94 event, but they were holding a key animation exhibit at their booth. They revealed frames for the upcoming TV anime Tsurune, which will air in October, as well as for episode 6 of Free! Dive to the Future, which has yet to air. Tsurune is adapted from an "archery youth story" novel. Minato played...

Manga ended in 2016; inspired 2015 TV anime, live-action film― The September issue of Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret magazine revealed on Friday that Kazune Kawahara and Aruko's romantic comedy shōjo manga series My Love Story!! (Ore Monogatari!!) manga will get a side story chapter in the magazine's next issue on September 13. The new chapter will have a color opening page and will have 60 pages. The...

English dub by Team Four Star, Sound Cadence Studios― The official Twitter account of Discotek Media began streaming a new trailer on Sunday for Yoshiki Yamakawa and Madhouse's 2008 Hells anime film adaptation of Sin'Ichi Hiromoto's Hells Angels manga. The video previews the English dub from Team Four Star and Sound Cadence Studios. Hells is coming to Blu-ray this year with a brand new dub from @tea...

With nods to the Eagles' classic "Hotel California" and a healthy dose of strangeness, The Voynich Hotel promises a stay you won't soon forget. Rebecca Silverman has the details.― Seven Seas' use of a paraphrased line from the Eagles' 1977 song “Hotel California” on the back copy of The Voynich Hotel's first volume really does prepare you for what's going on inside. The song's last line is “You can ...

Campaign aims to fund 5-minute pilot to prove viability of full anime project― Anime production company AIC is showing a preview page for a new Campfire crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for a five-minute pilot film for the El Hazard - The Magnificent World franchise. If funded, the pilot will be for a possible new anime project titled El-Hazard: The Dual World. The campaign has not yet launched,...

Returning cast members also confirmed― The One-Punch Man [Maji] School Festival event debuted a teaser for the second anime season based on ONE and Yuusuke Murata's One Punch Man manga on Sunday. The teaser announced that the new season will premiere next April. The event also confirmed that the group JAM Project is once again performing the opening theme song, and it unveiled a new teaser visual of...

Musical to open October 13-21 in Japan― Amipro's website for its upcoming "Fushigi Yûgi -Ao no Shō- (Fushigi Yûgi -Blue Chapter-)" stage musical, the sequel to the 2016 stage musical adaptation of Yuu Watase's Fushigi Yûgi manga, posted photographs of the cast in costume. Some of the cast members are returning from the previous musical. Reina Tanaka as Miaka Yūki (returning) Ryō Hirano as Tamahome (...

Japan's largest dōjinshi event works around 2020 Olympic construction― Comic Market, Japan's largest event for selling self-published dōjinshi works, will expand from three days to a record four days in both summer 2019 and winter 2019. It will run from August 9 to August 12 next summer, and then from December 28 to December 31. It will be the first time since Comic Market started in 1975 that the e...

Also standard DVD edition of Flip Flappers― On Monday August 13, Manga Entertainment will release the 13-part series Food Wars! The Second Plate on Blu-ray and DVD. This is the sequel to Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma. Food Wars! The Second Plate is set after the qualifying test with curry dishes, with eight contestants entering the quarterfinal of Autumn Elections: Sōma, Megumi, Takumi, Hisako, Alice...

Sonar Pocket, Special Favorite Music perform songs for September series― The official website for the live-action series adaptation of Mayaka Nakano's Bungaku Shojo (Literature Virgin) manga revealed the series' two lead cast members and the theme song on Tuesday. Aoi Morikawa (right in picture below) will play Kanoko Tsukishiro, while Yuu Shirota (left) will play Saku Kagaya. Sonar Pocket will perf...

Live-action series adapts Hiroyuki Nishimori's manga― The official website for the live-action television series of Hiroyuki Nishimori's Kyou Kara Ore Wa!! gag comedy manga revealed new cast visuals for the show on Wednesday. The visuals feature Nogizaka46's Yumi Wakatsuki and Reiya Masaki as their characters Akemi Kawasaki and Naoya Sagawa, respectively. Nogizaka46's Yumi Wakatsuki as Akemi Kawasak...

Manga adaptation of Wit Studio's original anime launched in May 2016― The September issue of Mag Garden's Monthly Comic Garden magazine revealed on Saturday that Shirō Yoshida's manga adaptation of the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress anime series will end in three chapters. If there are no delays, the manga will end in November. The "steampunk survival action" story takes place on the island country H...

Game previously slated for summer― The official website for Kotetsujō no Kabaneri -Ran- Hajimaru Michiato (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress -Revolt- Beginning Tracks), DMM Games' PC browser/smartphone game for the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress franchise, unveiled a new visual, and fall release date for the game on Saturday. The game was previously slated for this summer. The site is also streaming a vi...

Keyakizaka46 members star in play debuting in Tokyo on August 24― The official Twitter account for the stage play adaptation of the Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Gaiden smartphone role-playing game revealed two new visuals of cast members in costume as their characters on Saturday. Memi Kakizaki as Iroha Tamaki Akari Nibu as Madoka Kaname The cast members are all members of the Keyakizaka4...

Hour-long 1st episode to premiere same day in Japan― Aniplex of America announced at Otakon on Saturday that the United States premiere of the Sword Art Online: Alicization anime will take place at the Montalban Theatre in Los Angeles on September 15. The hour-long first episode will have a premiere event in Japan on the same day. The series will also have premiere events in Australia, France, Germa...

First volume, carrying 13 episodes, due on September 10― Anime Limited is listing a four-part release of Twin Star Exorcists, with the first part to be released on September 10. While the listing specifies that product details are not confirmed, Part 1 is currently listed as a limited edition that will carry the first 13 episodes. It will include a slipcase that will carry all four of the eventual v...

Funimation Entertainment announced at its Otakon panel on Saturday that it will release the complete Angel Links series on DVD and digital on November 6. The company had announced its license for the Outlaw Star spinoff series in 2013. Other November home video releases from Funimation include Kino's Journey -the Beautiful World-, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, A Sister's All You Need., Blood Blockade B...

Good Smile Company revealed on Tuesday that the Cells at Work! anime's Platelet will get a Nendoroid figure. However, fans will have to wait for the rest of the details of the release. In the meantime, fans can buy the anime's White Blood Cell Nendoroid. The figure went on sale for pre-order on Tuesday, and the pre-order period will remain open until September 5. The White Blood Cell figure inclu...

Saturday, August 11

Tour launches September 24 in Tokyo, Japan― Wakana Ootaki of singing unit Kalafina announced on Saturday during the "Kalifina 'Wakana'・Ryu Masaki Symphony Concert with Orchestra di Roma Italia" event at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall that she will launch her solo career with a solo concert tour starting on September 24 in Tokyo, Japan at the EX Theater. The official Line blog for Kalafina listed ...

Yui Natsukawa, Keita Machida, Yō Yoshida, more join cast of October series― The official website for the live-action series adaptation of Junko Kawakami's Chūgaku Hijiri Nikki (Middle School Hijiri Diary) manga revealed more cast members for the series on Thursday. The cast members, including the previously announced Kasumi Arimura, are as follows (Note: Character name romanizations are not official...

The Lupin the Third: Part 5 anime is collaborating with Japan's release of the Ocean's 8 film. Kanichi Kurita, voice of the anime's main character, narrates a promotional video for the film that debuted on Thursday. In the video, Lupin summarizes the heist plot and describes the film's highlights as the thieves work to infiltrate the Met Gala. Lupin adds remarks such as that the film's title chara...

Series premiered in Japan on July 13― Warner Bros. Anime announced at its Hi Score Girl anime premiere Otakon panel on Saturday that the television anime adaptation of Rensuke Oshikiri's Hi Score Girl manga will stream on Netflix in December 2018. The show premiered in Japan on July 13. Yoshiki Yamakawa (Hells, Kill Me Baby, Little Busters!) is directing the anime at J.C. Staff. Tatsuhiko Urahata (H...

Throwing safety concerns aside, otaku sprint out of Tokyo's Kokusai-Tenjijō Station twice yearly after arriving on the first train of the day to Tokyo Big Sight. As anime and manga enthusiasts aim to be first in line at Comic Market (Comiket, Comike, Comi), the Biannual Running of the Otaku (not an official name) has become a spectacle outside the convention center's nearby train station. Amateur ...

Can't get enough of battle royale tournaments where only the strongest and wittiest survive a gruesome demise? Here are seven more survival game anime to scratch that itch!― There are few quicker ways to ramp up tension between a group of strangers than throwing them headfirst into a battle of kill or be killed. There are tons of manga centered on the topic, for example Yen Press' release of Though...

Film screens with English subtitles in U.S. on August 21-22― GKIDS began streaming a clip from The Night is Short, Walk On Girl anime film on Thursday. GKIDS and Fathom Events will screen the film with English subtitles on August 21 and 22. GKIDS will also host a limited theatrical release independent of Fathom Events starting on August 22. All screenings will be in Japanese with English subtitles. ...

Wireless provider Docomo's d Anime Store (Docomo Anime Store) streaming service began streaming Aoi Miyamori and Ai Kunogi versions of its "production" Shirobako anime ad on Tuesday. The video is the fourth in the service's collaboration with the anime. In the video, the Musashino Animation team discusses the production of the d Anime Story commercial and the roles everyone will fill. Ema is in ch...

The official Japanese website for Alita: Battle Angel, Robert Rodriguez's live-action film of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita (GUNNM) manga, posted comments from James Cameron and from Kishiro himself. Kishiro provided his thoughts on the film's newest trailer that debuted in July. Kishiro said, "In the beginning, I was surprised because [Alita's] eyes are big. But when I saw what scenes there...

Haikara-San, Laughing Under the Clouds: Gaiden will be 1st 2 releases― Retailer Right Stuf and theatrical distribution company Eleven Arts Anime Studio announced at Right Stuf's Otakon panel on Saturday that Right Stuf will be the exclusive home video distributor for Eleven Arts anime home video releases. The first two titles that will be released under the partnership will be Laughing Under The Clo...

Cat spirits and ninja combine in this action series that blends fantasy with science fiction and folklore. Rebecca Silverman weighs the highs and lows of this pulse-pounding genre mashup.― Life very rarely works out precisely as you've planned it, even if your plans aren't much beyond “wake up and go to school.” That's what high schooler Jiro Azuma is about to learn the hard way when he rescues an i...

Teaser video, new visual, season 1 digest also posted― The official website for Fist of the Blue Sky Regenesis — the new television anime of Buronson, Nobuhiko Horie, and Tetsuo Hara's Souten no Ken (Fist of the Blue Sky) manga — revealed a new video, visual and the October 1 debut date for the anime's second season on Saturday. The video below shows a digest video summarizing the events of the firs...

Umehara will slowly return to work after hospitalization― Game publisher Idea Factory announced on Wednesday that it is replacing Yuichiro Umehara with Kousuke Toriumi in the role of Ichiya Mitsumori for its upcoming PlayStation Vita game Variable Barricade. The staff had announced the casting in November. Talent management company Arts Vision reported in May that Umehara was hospitalized after bein...

Shooter game launched in West for PS4 on May 15― Sony publishing label Unties Games announced on Wednesday that Souvenir Circ.'s Azure Reflections Touhou Project "bullet hell" (danmaku) shooter game will launch for Nintendo Switch in the West on August 30 for US$24.99. The company began streaming a Switch launch trailer that shows characters and gameplay last week . Unties Games describes the game: ...

Hiroaki Samura's Die Wergelder moves to Shonen Sirius, some titles move online― Kodansha is stopping the publication of its Nemesis manga magazine after the 41st issue, which shipped on Thursday. The announcement came in the same issue. Kodansha launched the magazine in 2010 as a spinoff from its Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine. Nemesis has published such manga as Hiroaki Samura's Die Wergelder, Yasu...

Fxxx Me Royally!, Farther than the Blue Sky!, Beat Angel Escalayer R adult games also slated― MangaGamer announced during its panel at Otakon on Friday that it will release The Expression Amrilato, Fxxx Me Royally! - Horny Magical Princess, Farther than the Blue Sky!, and Beat Angel Escalayer R visual novels. The Expression Amrilato is for all ages, while the rest of the games are adult games. Manga...

2nd part begins on October 11― This year's combined 36th and 37th issue of Kodansha's Morning magazine published the end of the first part of Shigemitsu Harada and Issei Hatsuyoshi's Hataraku Saibō BLACK (Cells at Work BLACK) spinoff manga on Thursday. The manga's second part will launch on October 11. The manga is set inside the body of someone who drinks too much, smokes, and has high stress and c...

Games slated for November 16― The Pokémon Company began streaming a new trailer for its Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! Nintendo Switch games on Thursday. The trailer shows the anime's Team Rocket, the Vermilion City location, and Mega Evolutions. The games are set in the Kanto region of the first Pokémon games, and are specifically based on 1998's Pokémon Yellow: Special P...

My Brother's Husband, My Hero Academia, more nominated for new category― The Harvey Awards, which honors outstanding work in comics and sequential art, revealed its its list of nominations for this year's awards on Thursday. This year's awards include a new "Best Manga" category, along with five other new categories. The first nominees for "Best Manga" include: My Brother's Husband (Otōto no Otto) b...

Tsukayama to voice Gold Roger in One Piece's next episode on August 12― The official website for Eiiichiro Oda's One Piece revealed on Friday that Masane Tsukayama will voice the One Piece anime character Gold Roger, after Gold Roger's previous voice actor Chikao Ohtsuka passed away in January 2015. Tsukayama is voicing Gold Roger in the 849th episode of the anime, which will air on August 12. Tsuka...

Friday, August 10

Open beta test to run August 17-20― Bandai Namco Entertainment America began streaming on new character trailers on Tuesday and Friday for its Black Clover: Quartet Knights game for PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. The videos preview the playable characters Vetto and Charmy. Vetto Charmy Bandai Namco Entertainment America also announced on Wednesday that it will run an open beta test on PS4, starting...

"It's off-putting for a woman to draw boys' manga, don't you think?"― Today's Cerberus manga creator Ato Sakurai revealed in now deleted tweets that she previously worked under a more gender-ambiguous pen name, but it wasn't her own decision. Sakurai wrote on Twitter on Sunday that when she debuted as a manga artist, her editor at the time told her use a gender neutral pen name. She said she'll neve...

The official website for the television anime of Satoshi Hase and redjuice's Beatless novel revealed the main visual for the four-episode Beatless Final Stage anime on Friday. The Beatless anime has been on hiatus since the "climactic" episode 20 debuted on June 29, and Beatless Final Stage will debut in September. Since premiering on January 12 in the "Animeism" programming block, the television ...

Relive some of Popuko and Pipimi's funniest moments, as well as some brand new ones, with the self-proclaimed "Crappy Card Game." The game includes 54 cards featuring bits from the original show, one "crappy" instruction manual, and promises to be contain anywhere "between 7-80% crappy content". Within the deck are four cards drawn by a "certain illustrator" from a "certain card game." The game a...

Also: complete The Irregular at Magic High School BD on October 16― Aniplex of America announced at its Otakon panel on Friday that it will rerelease the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood television anime in two Blu-ray Disc box sets on November 20, 2018. The first Blu-ray Disc box set will contain episodes 1-30, and the second box set will contain episodes 31-64. Each set will also include two origi...

Aimer to perform on November 17― Aniplex of America and the Anime NYC convention announced at Aniplex's Otakon panel on Friday that this year's Anime NYC will host Japanese music artist Aimer as part of a "Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel Special Event Featuring Aimer" on November 17. Aimer will perform a live concert at the end of the event. The two-hour event, focusing on the Fate/stay night: Heaven...

Let's say there's a manga artist whose work is a huge smash hit in, say, Finland, but not a single volume of their work has been published in America. Do American publishers take that success into account? Deb gets into it.― It's well known that not all manga are smash hits in the US, but when a previously "unknown" manga starts doing well in another country, shouldn't that catch other countries pu...

Project Eevee is a special spin-off merchandise campaign dedicated to Pokémon's most evolved monster. Merchandiser MOVIC is helping support the venture by enlisting popular illustrators to draw trainer companions for the different evolutions, and the first round debuted in late April, followed by three more in June. Artists Yumenōchi, Dan Ichikawa, Kuraen Mori, Mengo Yokoyari, Nachi Aono, Nakahara...

Anime website Nijimen held a questionnaire to discover what boys-love manga are best for beginners. Readers were asked to comment with the choices and site administrators then tallied the comments and "likes" on each comment to rank the recommendations. According to Nijimen readers, the boys-love manga best suited to new readers are: The World's Greatest First Love: The Case of Ritsu Onodera by Sh...

Series about girl with 3 billion years of memories slated for May 2019― Dark Horse Comics announced at its Otakon panel on Friday that it has licensed Shinji Kajio and Kenji Tsuruta's Emanon manga series and plans to release the first volume, Emanon Vol. 1: Memories of Emanon, in May 2019. Dana Lewis (Wandering Island) is translating the series. The manga is based on Kajio's Emanon prose stories, wh...

Sentai Filmworks announced at Otakon on Friday that it will release English dubs for the following titles: Girls' Last Tour Land of the Lustrous Mitsuboshi Colors Just Because! Girls' Last Tour, Land of the Lustrous, and Just Because! all streamed on Amazon's now defunct streaming platform Anime Strike as they aired during the fall 2017 season. Mitsuboshi Colors premiered in January and streamed o...

Screenings feature both Japanese version, English dub― GKIDS announced on Friday that it will theatrically release Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu's Mirai no Mirai (Mirai) anime film in the United States on November 30. The theatrical release will include both the original Japanese and an English dub of the anime. U.K. anime distributor Anime Limited will debut the film in theaters on November 2 and ...

3-part film opens in Japan on August 24― The official website for Studio Ponoc's three-part anime anthology film Modest Heroes (Chiisana Eiyū: Kani to Tamago to Tōmei Ningen) revealed a trailer for each short on Friday. The video below combines all three trailers. The website also began streaming two teaser videos for the shorts in July. Studio Ponoc describes the shorts as "tales of modest heroes o...

Anime opens in Japan on November 2― The official website for the Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2202 (Uchū Senkan Yamato 2202: Ai no Senshi-tachi or Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love) anime sequel project revealed a teaser video for the sixth film in the series, "Kaisei-hen" (Resurrection Chapter), on Friday. The film will open in 35 theaters in Japan on November 2. As with the p...

Series premieres on October 6― The official website for the original anime series Release the Spyce revealed the second promotional video and October 6 premiere on Friday. The anime will premiere on MBS on October 6 at 26:38 (effectively October 7 at 2:38 a.m.). The series will then debut on Tokyo MX on October 7 at 11:30 p.m. and on BS11 at 25:00 (effectively October 8 at 1:00 a.m.). The cast inclu...

1st 24-minute anime "season" gets release at Comiket before retail release at Tora no Ana― (Note: The visuals in this article may be not safe for work.) The official Twitter account for the video anime of Shimahara's doujin project Iya na Kao Sare Nagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai (I Want You To Make a Disgusted Face and Show Me Your Underwear) announced on Friday that a second anime "season" has been ...

Meshi Numa. anime also gets new version with "more sexiness"― The official Twitter account for Production I.G's Anime Beans app announced on Friday that an anime adaptation of Sui Sōda's Kiss Made, Ato 1-Byō. (A Second Away From a Kiss.) manga debuted on the app on the same day. The first eight episodes are available for free. The anime is produced in "Tate Anime" (Vertical Anime) format. The accoun...

Voice actress Chinatsu Akasaki announced on her Twitter account on Friday that she was married. She made the announcement on her birthday. She stated that she will continue to move forward in both her job and her private life in her own way. Akasaki has voiced roles in such anime as Sacred Seven (Nanami Akasaki), Kill Me Baby (Yasuna Oribe), Senki Zesshō Symphogear (Yumi Itaba), Bodacious Space Pi...

The official website for the television anime of author Kouhei Kadono and illustrator Kouji Ogata's Boogiepop and Others (Boogiepop wa Warawanai) light novel revealed on Friday that the anime will premiere in January 2019. The new anime will feature a different voice cast from the previous 2000 television anime. Aoi Yūki will voice Tōka Miyashita/Boogiepop, while Saori Onishi as Nagi Kirima. Shing...

Mutsumi Tamura, Inori Minase star in anime by Encourage Films― The official website for Merc Storia -Mukiryoku no Shōnen to Bin no Naka no Shōjo- (Merc Storia: The Apathetic Boy and the Girl in a Bottle), the television anime of Happy Elements' Merc Storia -Yujutsushi to Suzu no Shirabe~ smartphone role-playing game, revealed the staff, cast, and opening theme song artist for the anime on Friday. Th...

Amazon Prime Video streams new TV anime from Yaoyorozu animation group― The official website of Kemurikusa, the new television anime by Tatsuki and Yaoyorozu, the former director and studio of the Kemono Friends anime, revealed a new visual and the anime's January premiere date on Friday. The anime will air on BS Fuji and other channels, and Amazon Prime Video will "exclusively" offer the early stre...

Manga creator Makoto Yukimura posted a photo of his 21st Vinland Saga manga volume on Twitter on Friday. The photo reveals the 2019 premiere for the manga's television anime adaptation. The 21st volume ships on August 23 in Japan. Wit Studio (Attack on Titan, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, The Ancient Magus' Bride) is animating the anime. The anime will air on television and stream exclusively on ...

Mai Fuchigami performs opening song for October anime― The official website for the anime of Mikage Kasuga's Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi (Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc and the Alchemist Knight) novel series began streaming the second promotional video for the anime on Friday. The site also revealed the anime's opening theme song artist. Mai Fuchigami will perform the anime's as-yet untitled ope...

Tomoyo Kurosawa, Lynn, Nao Toyama, Ami Koshimizu, Marina Inoue star in October anime― The official website for Animax's original television anime Akanesasu Shōjo (Girl Glowing Red) began streaming a promotional video for the anime on Friday. The video highlights the main characters in an alternate world, and reveals a new character with an identical appearance to the main character Asuka Tsuchimiya....

MIKOTO performs theme for sci-fi action-adventure based on romance game app― The official website for Bakumatsu, the television anime of FuRyu's Renai Bakumatsu Kareshi smartphone game, began streaming the second promotional video for the anime on Friday. The video reveals the anime's additional staff members and October premiere on TBS and BS-TBS. It also reveals and previews the opening theme song...

Japan, U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Russia, S. Korea host premiere events― The official website for the Sword Art Online: Alicization anime announced on Friday that the anime will have a world premiere event in seven countries: Japan, the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Russia, and South Korea. The premiere will show the anime's first episode, which is a one-hour-long special. The si...

Show about woman exploring city nightlife will have different all-star staff, cast on each episode― A new television anime adaptation of Yukari Takinami's Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan four-panel comedy manga has been green-lit. The anime will premiere on Tokyo MX, AT-X, and other channels in January 2019. The anime will be made in an omnibus format, with each episode having a different director, character de...

The kids' mecha anime Shinkalion's Eva extravaganza will include voice actresses Megumi Hayashibara and Yuko Miyamura as Rei and Asuka. The fan-favorite characters were confirmed to appear in the episode earlier this week, but it wasn't yet known if they'd have speaking roles. The characters appeared in the next episode preview with voice over by Misato voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi. Shinkalion's...

Blood Lad's Shigeyuki Miya directs suspense TV anime at Madhouse― The official website for the television anime of Wright Flyer Studios' Shōmetsu Toshi (Annihilated City — Where I End and You Begin) smartphone game posted a teaser video and third teaser visual on Friday. The website and the video reveal additional cast and staff members. The newly announced cast members include: Makoto Takahashi as ...

Both premiere in spring 2019― An event held at the Kaguraza venue in Tokyo on Thursday to celebrate the Blu-ray Disc and DVD box release of the live-action Kakegurui series announced on Thursday the franchise is getting a second live-action season and a live-action film. The second season will premiere on MBS and TBS' Dramaism time slot in spring 2019. The film will also premiere in spring 2019. The...

Cast, staff return for October anime― The official website for A Certain Magical Index III, the third television anime season based on Kazuma Kamachi's A Certain Magical Index light novel series, began streaming the Comic Market 94 promotional video on Friday. The video previews Maon Kurosaki's opening theme song "Gravitation": Voice cast members Atsushi Abe, Yuka Iguchi, and Rina Satou will join De...

GeGeGe no Kitarō, Oshiri Tantei in top 10― The Gibo to Musume no Blues live-action series adaptation aired on Tuesday, July 31 at 10:00 p.m. an earned an 12.2% rating. The Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni (In This Corner of the World) live-action series adaptation aired on TBS on Sunday, August 5 at 9:00 p.m. and earned a 9.2% rating. Title Station Date Time Length Average Household Rating Sazae-san Fuji T...

Game launches August 30 in Japan, August 31 in Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia― Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe began streaming a trailer for its Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker game on Thursday. The video previews the game's flag capture battles. The game will launch in Japan for PlayStation 4 on August 30. The game will then launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam in the Americas...